The Macbook Air of Drills Is Your Power-Tool-Bestmodo Deal of the Day

Today's deal of the day is simple: If you're a person that lives in a dwelling you're going to need to drill holes at some point, whether it's to hang a heavy picture or to make a peephole to spy on your roommate (Note: DO NOT spy on your roommate.) And to make a hole, you'll need a drill. Our very own power tool expert Harry Sawyers went through all the best portable, cordless drills, and the Bosch PS130-2A was by far the best. If you're not a home improvement professional, this Bosch is our Bestmodo kitchen drawer drill: it's light, powerful, and today, it's cheap. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jJgPp_C3u5E/the-macbook-air-of-drills-is-your-power+tool-deal-of-the-day

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Logitech Harmony Touch Universal Remote review

How many audio/video home entertainment components do you own? Do you use a separate remote control for each one? Are you the designated controller in your family because no one else can figure out how to start the TV, satellite and DVR? Have you ever been at work when you get a call something like “The TV doesn’t work, it’s just static on the screen”. If so, I feel your pain and I have something that might cure the problem once and for all. It’s Logitech’s latest universal remote control, the Harmony Touch.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

Package Contents

Harmony Touch Remote
Charging cradle
AC Adapter
USB cable
Manual

The Harmony Touch features a 2.4” swipe and tap color touch screen, backlit buttons, rechargeable battery  and the ability to control up to 15 different devices. It packs all these features in a medium sized handheld controller that won’t intimidate the gadget phobic members of your household.

The ergonomic shape of the remote is comfortable in hand and a good layout of the buttons allows you to reach all them with your thumb.

You won’t need to worry about keeping this remote fed with batteries because it is rechargeable. The only thing you will need to figure out is where to put the charging cradle since it will require you to plug the AC adapter into an empty wall socket.

Setting up the Harmony Touch is all done via your web browser on your Windows PC or Mac. In order to make things easier, it’s suggested that you write down the brand and model number for all your devices before you start. This can be a pain if your devices are housed in a cabinet where you can’t easily see the model numbers, but skipping this step is a mistake. Lucky for me, all my devices either displayed the model numbers in on-screen menus, or I was able to find them without unplugging them and looking on the back for the label.

Once you have your list of brands/models, it’s easy to add devices to your remote via the Logitech web app.

Within a couple minutes I had my 6 main devices entered and ready to configure the TV settings and activities.

  

Configuring the TV is just a matter of entering your ZIP code and choosing your content provider. In my case DirecTV. Then I was able to choose my favorite channels that would be displayed on the touch screen of the remote.

Setting up Activities is easy too. You can think of Activities as a group of commands that would normally require you to use multiple remotes to perform. But when programmed, the Harmony will do it all for you with one tap. For example, you can have an activity to Watch TV, which will turn on your TV, turn on your A/V receiver, turn on the DVR and set all the appropriate inputs so that you’re ready to go in a couple of seconds instead of juggling remotes.

After you’ve setup the devices and created an activity, you can sync the data to the remote by connecting the included USB cable. This is where I ran into a little trouble… Several times on more than one occasion, syncing would make the fans on my Macbook Air start running full blast and would freeze the sync process until I unplugged the remote from the USB port. When this happened a couple of times, I had to reboot the computer in order for it to work. This was annoying to say the least and happens each time I want to update the remote with a new activity, favorite channels, new device, etc.

After successfully syncing the settings to the remote, I was able to start testing it. I have been using it for about a week now and have found that it works pretty well except for a few quirks.

The remote is always on, so as soon as you touch it, it’s ready for action. If you tap the Home button, you’ll see the main activities screen that you see above. You can swipe the screen to scroll through the activities and then tap on it to perform the commands associated with that activity. In my case, Watch TV will turn on my Samsung TV, my DirecTV DVR and my Onkyo A/V receiver.

   

Tapping the Star button will display a scrolling list of your favorite 50 channels. Tapping 123 will bring up a number pad so you can manually switch channels that might not be in your favorites list. You can also use gestures to fast forward, rewind, play, pause and change channels up/down. The touch screen and the physical buttons all work well. It’s just that you have to manually switch to the different modes. I wish the remote was smart enough to know when I want to use gestures and not require me to switch to the gesture screen, which I can never seem to remember how to bring it up.

Using the Harmony is definitely more convenient than using multiple remotes. Other than my issue with syncing the settings via the web app, the only other problem I ran into was when I was trying to fix a problem with my Watch TV activity. It’s a problem I’ve had since getting my Samsung TV and Onkyo TX-SR608 receiver. For some weird reason, I can turn on the TV, DVR and receiver and press the CBL/SAT input button to switch the audio input and a few seconds later, the input will automatically switch back to the TV/CD on the receiver. This happens 99% of the time. Sometimes I have to press the CBL/SAT input button 2 times before it “sticks” and doesn’t revert back to TV/CD. I was hoping I would be able to manually add an extra button press to the end of the Watch TV activity macro, but as far as I can tell, there’s no way to add that particular command. I can add other commands to the end of the Activity, but just not that specific one… To get around the problem, I changed the assignment of the physical Mute button on the remote to be the CBL/SAT input button. So now in order to watch TV, I press the Watch TV activity and then wait for everything to come on and then as soon as it switches back to TV/CD, I press the Mute button to go back to CBL/SAT. Works for me, but I wish I could automate it :)

I’ve tried Harmony remotes in the past and always had problems getting them to work with my equipment. I’m happy to say that my experience with the Logitech Harmony Touch has been much better. Now there is the question of whether buying a $249.99 remote control is actually worth it. If you only use a couple remotes then the answer is probably not. But if you have a large assortment of devices, the Logitech Harmony Touch remote does make controlling your home theater equipment quicker and easier.

Product Information

Price:$249.99
Manufacturer:Logitech
Pros:
  • Easy to use
  • Easy setup via web app
  • Touch screen
  • Rechargeable battery
Cons:
  • Syncing issues with Macbook and web app
  • Activities (macro) setup needs to allow for ALL commands

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged:

Logitech Harmony Touch Universal Remote review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 25, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Gladinet maps Amazon Cloud Drive to your Windows desktop

amazon cloud drive
Amazon's recently-introduced Cloud Drive is a great place to store your files online. It offers 5 gigs of totally free space, and U.S. users also get access to the handy Cloud Player app (for Web and Android!) which streams music you upload to your Cloud Drive.

The service could be a little easier to use, however. Until Amazon releases a desktop client, Windows users might want to take another look at Gladinet. The multi-service cloud connector has now added Amazon Cloud Drive support and will let you map a network drive letter to your account with minimal fuss.

Once you've added your credentials to Gladinet, just pick the letter you want to assign to the drive and you're good to go. You can then copy files to and from your Cloud Drive, rename items, and manage folders like you would any local hard drive in your system.

The only downside is that the free version of Gladinet gives you a limited number of cloud interactions. Once you use those up, you'll need to upgrade to the paid version, which costs $49.99. If you work with a number of cloud-based storage providers, however, it could be well worth the price tag.

Gladinet maps Amazon Cloud Drive to your Windows desktop originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/map-amazon-cloud-drive-to-windows-local/

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32GB Nexus 7 price down to £179 in the UK

Android Central

Google and ASUS' Nexus 7 has been one of the budget tablet success stories of the year, and today it's an even more tempting buy for customers in the UK. British retailer Carphone Warehouse is selling the recently-launched 32GB version of the 7-inch Nexus tablet for £179, £20 below the Google Play Store asking price of £199. Both prices exclude delivery charges, though Carphone does offer a free delivery service, as well as in-store collection.

For that price you'll get a quad-core Tegra 3-powered tablet running the latest version of Android, with plenty of storage to boot. That's pretty good value considering not long ago you'd have spent a similar amount to get the now-discontinued 8GB Nexus 7 model.

More details at the source link.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Thanks @DarrenDoc, @keridel

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/rxqAlnA-CIk/story01.htm

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Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men

The social network Cloud Girlfriend
Cloud Girlfriend, despite what it sounds like, doesn't really have anything to do with cloud computing. Rather, it uses a cloud of women to pose as your girlfriend on Facebook, or your favorite social network of choice. The service is scheduled to launch 'soon,' and there's no indication of how much it will cost.

With the tagline 'The easiest way to get a girlfriend is to already have one,' Cloud Girlfriend promises to be a very interesting startup indeed. The brains of the operation, David Fuhriman, speaking to CNET, says it's all about fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "CloudGirlfriend.com can fulfill Maslow's higher needs, even though the users know that the interaction is virtual. They will interact with a real person and see real profile images of the girl with whom they interact. This interaction can build confidence and esteem as well as provide real training experiences in navigating a friendship and a relationship."

Our concern, of course, is that it's very nearly April 1. We're also worried by the fact that Fuhriman has a name that sounds ominously like a social subculture that we've grown strangely attracted to here in the Download Squad bunker.

Finally, just stop and think about it for a second. Because your cloud girlfriend will be entirely virtual, she could be based anywhere. She could be underage -- or overage -- or she might be someone who you know in real life. She could even be a relative of yours, and you'd never know.

Let's not forget this is the Internet we're talking about, folks. Worst case scenario, she could turn out to be a hairy, male truck driver from Texas. Such as... your dad, perhaps?

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/cloud-girlfriend-will-use-an-army-of-females-to-please-lonely-me/

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Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla's increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs' current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change -- some URLs might change, but that's it -- and presumably Messaging's F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

What this means for the end user -- for the hundreds of millions of Firefox users -- is that the next big additions will be communication- and messaging-oriented. Contacts and F1 will be almost certainly be baked into Firefox 5 or 6, both of which will be released this year -- and, who knows, there might be something else even more exciting up Mozilla Labs' sleeve!

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/mozilla-messaging-reintegrates-with-labs-unifies-focus-on-web-b/

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Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

zoho docs ipad
Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/zoho-docs-2-0-app-for-ipad-arrives/

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Intel's Two-Pronged Evolution

It's hard to think of an IT vendor with a stronger leadership position than Intel, but the company is having trouble shaking off the perception that it is on the ropes or headed for disaster in some of its core markets. On one hand, Intel's mission-critical Itanium platform suffered when Oracle and HP publicly butted heads in an altercation that ended up in court. On the other, the use of graphics processors in high-performance computing and supercomputing applications has caused some to doubt Intel's future in those markets.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/25eb05c0/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C766790Bhtml/story01.htm

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Windows 8 App Store images leaked?

windows 8 app store
Windows 8 images continue to leak onto the Internet, despite Microsoft's wallpaper-based pleas to those with access to the early releases. Today's installment courtesy CNBeta shows the upcoming Windows App Store, which will likely feature prominently in Windows 8.

We've got our doubts about the authenticity of the image. In addition to showing several of the built-in games which already ship with Windows, Opera is listed -- and a competing browser seems like an odd inclusion this early on. Of course, with the browser ballot still in place in the EU for quite some time, Microsoft would probably need to include rivals like Opera and Firefox to stay out of trouble. We're also not sure why Clickgamer is shown beneath Angry Birds instead of Rovio -- the game's actual publisher.

It's still early, of course, so it's entirely possible that the Windows App Store image is genuine but merely using placeholder images and text for now. Anyone else thinking Windows Marketplace might be a more logical name? You know, to keep things consistent with Windows Phone and keep Apple's legal eagles at bay.

Windows 8 App Store images leaked? originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/11/windows-8-app-store-images-leaked/

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Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam

internet explorer 9 ie9
Microsoft has shared some news about the state of its most and least loved Web browsers -- Internet Explorer 9 and 6, respectively. Even with IE9 only recently exiting beta, Microsoft reports that 3.6% of Windows 7 users are now running the new browser (no mention of Vista... what's with that?). The post also reveals that the adoption rate is almost five times what IE8 garnered in the early going.

It's also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9's Windows 7 integration features -- like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.

But perhaps the best news of all is that Microsoft's IE6countdown.com now has more than 400 partners and is generating nearly two million pageviews per month, helping to lure users away from the woefully out-of-date browser. Can the end come soon enough, DS readers?

Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/internet-explorer-9-nears-4-share-on-windows-7-ie6-extinction/

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